It is desirable for certain channels of television programming to contain both national and local content elements. Traditionally, this is accomplished by creating time slots during which each of the various elements occupies. A conventional television distribution system provides a national (or regional) network feed, with time slots that are available for the insertion of locally generated content (or ads) at a broadcast network affiliate station or a cable headend and a means for signaling the availability of a time slot for local insertion of content. However, not every broadcast network affiliate station or cable headend may have the equipment and/or the content available to perform a local insertion, thus, common industry practice is to have a network feed contain promotional or other “filler” content which may be replaced by locally generated content, but which will be sent to the viewers in case such locally generated content is not available.
Some types of television programming such as news, weather, sports etc. tend to be more informational and lend themselves to the use of graphics and text content elements to convey information to the viewer. Examples include MSNBC and CNBC, which each use a particular layout format of full motion video with additional graphics and text elements in a format that is appropriate to their content. In such cases it is common practice to compose the programming by segmenting the screen into various windows of information. Such programming is produced and distributed in a conventional way, with time slots available for local insertion of content.
Conventional television productions segment the program into a video portion and various graphics elements. But the segmentation of the screen and the generation and overlay of the graphics elements is all performed as part of the program production, that is, in the control room where the program is being produced. Conventionally, once a program leaves the control room it is considered “finished” and there is no change made to it as it goes through various stages of distribution to the consumer. Consequently, only the video information is typically conveyed through the distribution chain.
Accordingly, a need exists for an efficient way of combining national and local content in the same viewer screen at the broadcast network affiliate station or cable headend.